Succession of the Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) Microbiome from Hatch to Settlement in a Recirculating Aquaculture System
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Deck, Annie Rose
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Marine Science
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Ornamental fish aquaculture is a developing sustainable alternative to wild collection in meeting aquarium trade demands. In the Hawaiian Islands, Zebrasoma flavescens, or yellow tang have been the most highly demanded species for the trade. Characterizing commensal microbial communities, like the gut microbiome, using high-throughput sequencing has had important applications in optimizing host-microbiota symbiosis and improving juvenile recruitment in aquaculture. Here, we first sought to assess the impact of DNA extraction kit, mechanical disruption, and storage technique on the ability to characterize the gut microbiota of adult yellow tang. Of the four commercially available extraction kits evaluated (Omega Bio-Tek E.Z.N.A Soil, Qiagen QIAamp PowerFecal Pro DNA, MasterPure Complete DNA and RNA Purification, and MasterPure Gram Positive DNA Purification), extractions from the two spin column kits, the Omega Bio-Tek E.Z.N.A Soil and Qiagen QIAamp PowerFecal Pro DNA, had the best rate of amplifiability and highest alpha diversity. These kits also showed strong agreement in characterization of microbial community structure. We next described the microbiota assembly of yellow tang larvae, diet, and rearing water from 2 to 76 days post-hatch. We observed Proteobacteria to be the most abundant phylum in larvae samples in 7/8 developmental stages of which the genus Vibrio made a notable proportion. Ordination of sample types as well as pairwise comparisons using adonis supported that diet is playing a more significant role in larvae microbiota seeding than rearing water and may be a key vector of Vibrio. Resolution of Vibrio at the species level within the larvae's different food sources is a necessary next step in elucidating the role this group may be playing in larval yellow tang mortality.
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Hawaii Pacific University